1 Fish Dead And Discus Acting Strange

[cambspaul]

mrs biffster used to keep butterfly
fish she said they are picky
eaters she said she had one
that would only feed on
freeze dried blood worm
or ant eggs in the summer
she used to kill flies for it

Thanks for the advice biffster , ive still got a male left so ill try some of that

try and get another female
a bigger one than the male it might work out
a bit better mrs biffster is going to give
you some info on breeding them
that ok

Thanks biffster , all info is very welcome indeed

Butterfly fish are picky eaters, if they are, feed them crickets, which they cant resist!

Thanks mate , ill pick some up

 

[mrs biffster]

Hello, your butterfly fish could of died of old age. I'm not sure how long they live for though because you never know how old they are when your buy them.
To be quite honest they are not very exciting fish, they hovver motionless at the surface. The only time you see some action is when you feed them.
If you ever want to try and breed them you need to put a pair in a tank of there own.
The water level needs to be shallow, about half the height ot the tank. Feed them plenty of live food to get them into condition. When they have eggs the eggs float on the surface of the water. You would need to take the pair out after they have laid there eggs coz they would eat them.

 

[mattlee]

None of the other fish bothered the butterflys as they were always at the top like you said matt .
My tank is at 26 degrees , was told this was alright for discus and have read it on here too .

discus need to be in temperatures of 28-30 degrees C. people keep them at 28 but 30 is preferable. 26 is too cool for them. good tank mates are rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras, german blue rams etc that can all tolerate the high temperatures required.

 

[cambspaul]

Hello, your butterfly fish could of died of old age. I'm not sure how long they live for though because you never know how old they are when your buy them.
To be quite honest they are not very exciting fish, they hovver motionless at the surface. The only time you see some action is when you feed them.
If you ever want to try and breed them you need to put a pair in a tank of there own.
The water level needs to be shallow, about half the height ot the tank. Feed them plenty of live food to get them into condition. When they have eggs the eggs float on the surface of the water. You would need to take the pair out after they have laid there eggs coz they would eat them.

Thank you for the advice mrs biffster . I have looked in to a larger female and should have 1 in a week or 2 . Have been thinking of getting a smaller tank for emergencies like illness .So i might try using it as a breeding tank aswell .
Im trying to find out how old the butterfly was from the bloke i got her from . Ill try googling them for there lifespan .

 

[cambspaul]

None of the other fish bothered the butterflys as they were always at the top like you said matt .
My tank is at 26 degrees , was told this was alright for discus and have read it on here too .

discus need to be in temperatures of 28-30 degrees C. people keep them at 28 but 30 is preferable. 26 is too cool for them. good tank mates are rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras, german blue rams etc that can all tolerate the high temperatures required.

Matt , ive turned it up to 28 degrees . I cant find where i read that 26 was ok , i must have got it confused with another fish i was researching . Thanks for putting me straight .

 

[mattlee]

None of the other fish bothered the butterflys as they were always at the top like you said matt .
My tank is at 26 degrees , was told this was alright for discus and have read it on here too .

discus need to be in temperatures of 28-30 degrees C. people keep them at 28 but 30 is preferable. 26 is too cool for them. good tank mates are rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras, german blue rams etc that can all tolerate the high temperatures required.

Matt , ive turned it up to 28 degrees . I cant find where i read that 26 was ok , i must have got it confused with another fish i was researching . Thanks for putting me straight .

30 would be better but dont change it too soon as it may shock the fish with too sudden change in environment. also at these high temps be very carefull not to overfeed as the food will go off faster thats uneaten and may cause water issues

 

[cambspaul]

Thanks for the info matt .
I do like Keith the oscar , lovely looking fish .

 

[mattlee]

Thanks for the info matt .
I do like Keith the oscar , lovely looking fish .

no worries

Keiths a beauty isnt he

 

[cambspaul]

New problem with the Cobolt discus - Yesterday he started jerking a little while swimming. Then today, he went missing (He is usually the most social of the bunch: hanging around the front of the tank, and dominating the others) I found him up top, on his side gasping, occasionaly in sheer desperation trying to swim back down into the tank, with a serious bloat to his stomach (I assume thats his stomach). He seems to of recovered, but occasionally still swimming with a jerky motion. Last week one of his gills was swollen, but seemed to go the next day, with the other side swelling - then that went. He is, out of all the discus, the only one who eats not only the flakes I put in, but also the Pleco's algae wafers. I was told by the guy I got it from that it sounded like swim bladder? But after browsing the net, I'm not so sure. This evening he is back to normal, and also seems to not be stamping his authority like he usually does, but in general a happy chap. I've done a 50% water change, and all stats are good.

Is there anything anyone can suggest? I don't want to lose my top dog.